


A Sign From Above

by WayWardWonderer



Category: Ghostbusters (Movies 1984-1989)
Genre: Cold, F/M, Fever, Gen, Hurt, Lost - Freeform, Missing, Prison, Revenge, Stranded, Taken, abducted, hostage, ill, sick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-18
Updated: 2018-03-18
Packaged: 2019-04-04 08:08:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14015955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WayWardWonderer/pseuds/WayWardWonderer
Summary: A strange phenomenon appears over the sky of New York City and the Ghostbusters must investigate. However one of the team remains behind as he deals with sickness and the other three become stranded in an interdimensional plane. Now it's up to the only freed Ghostbuster to bring his friends home while the others identify the source of the disturbance!





	A Sign From Above

A thunderous burst of energy shook the entirety of New York City on what had started out as a quiet and cold winter night. The four Ghostbusters were startled awake from where they were resting inside the firehouse that had been refurbished as their headquarters. Pulsing ripples of purple energy illuminated the dark, starry sky in a rhythm on par with a beating heart. The air was charged with an ethereal electricity that could make your hair stand on end!

"What was THAT?!" Dr. Peter Venkman asked as he bolted upright in his bed and looked around the room confusedly. A purple hued glow filled the room and outlined the four men in the darkness as they tried to understand the bizarre event that had just taken place. "Did we do that or is someone else in trouble?"

"Not us!" Dr. Raymond 'Ray' Stantz replied as he jumped out of his bed in his gray sweatpants and white t-shirt to look out the nearby window. Wiping a layer of icy condensation from the glass pane he stared out and was awestruck by the magnificent light display in the sky. "Something's happening out over Ellis Island!"

Rubbing his tired, bloodshot eyes Dr. Egon Spengler joined Ray at the window as he adjusted his glasses over his eyes. He was wearing similar clothing as the rest of his colleagues which made the usual well dressed physicist look a little out of place. "It appears an intense surge of psychokinetic energy has swept over the city." He cleared the congestion from his sore throat before continuing. "Powerful force is at work as we speak, gentlemen."

"Oh? Is that all?" Peter asked with a heavily sleepy yawn.

Winston swung his legs over the edge of his bed and stretched out his shoulders. "I'm going to go turn on the news and see if anyone knows what's happening."

Egon folded his arms across his chest as he quickly formulated his first theory about the current event from pure scientific observation. "It's possible a gateway to an ethereal plane has been been opened." Despite his somewhat hoarse voice from a late season cold his words remained steadfast and true.

"What about an event triggered by a catalyst?" Ray suggested casually as he turned to look at his friend who was standing by his side. "The island has a lot of history that could tie into past paranormal events."

Disinterested and unintimidated Peter laid back down in his bed and pulled the blanket up over his head to shield his eyes from the purple light. "Let me know if anything important is happening."

"Peter!" Ray complained as he pulled the pillow from his own bed and threw it at his friend. "Get up! This concerns you, too!"

Peter sat up again, the blanket still covering his head as he grumbled in response. "I knew I should've stayed at Dana's tonight..."

* * *

It didn't take long for a breaking news report revolving around the unusual purple light to appear on nearly every channel in the city. The four tired Ghostbusters all donned their jumpsuits and gathered around the TV set. Ray had begun scanning the air with the PKE meter hoping to record data on the unique phenomenon but the distance between the firehouse and Ellis Island was too great.

Peter leaned back into the couch with his eyes shut as he tried to stay awake and pay attention. "If channel six news can't figure it out then we're all doomed!"

Winston elbowed Peter in the ribs as he stared at the TV screen intently.

"What?" Peter whined as he rubbed at his sore ribs. "I'm just saying what we're all thinking!"

"Shh!" Egon scolded his friend only to be choked by a mild cough. "This is serious."

Ray finally gave up on the meter. Turning it off he leaned over the back of the couch the watch the news with the rest of his colleagues. Various stations had all captured the same footage of the pulsing energy emanating from the sky over Ellis Island, but no definitive information on the event had yet to be confirmed.

"We should get out to the island." Egon suggested. The congestion in his voice was enough to make him sound miserable and weak.

"Right," Winston put his hand on Egon's shoulder at he stared the physicist's pale face. "we'll go to Ellis Island and you stay here."

"What?" Egon gave all three of his friends an odd look at they stared at him waiting for a reply. "Why should I remain in the firehouse?" He coughed a little once again before continuing. "Ray has already confirmed that our equipment cannot get an accurate reading from this distance."

"Because you're sick." Winston confirmed as he dropped his hand and shrugged his shoulder casually. "It's freezing outside and it'll be even colder on the water."

Before Egon could object Ray spoke up and readily sided with Winston. "He's right. We can't have you getting any worse than you already are."

Peter interjected quickly and gave Egon a smug smile. "AND... Think about Spengz, if it was me or Ray or Winston who was sniffling away right now would you let us go out there, or keep us here?"

Knowing when he was bested by logic Egon reluctantly agreed to stay behind. "Very well. But we'll remain in constant contact over the radios." Unclipping the radio hanging from his belt he made a big show of turning it on and setting it on the nearby table.

"Wouldn't have it any other way!" Ray boasted as he quickly walked around the couch to jog down the stairs from the rec room on the second floor to reach the garage on the first floor. "I'll drive!"

"Don't take it personally." Winston sympathized with Egon's disappointment. "It's just safer to keep you here where it's warm and away from questionable paranormal events. You know that."

"I know."

Peter patted Egon's shoulder as he and Winston walked by their ill friend and joined Ray down on the first floor. While three of the four Ghostbusters took off together in the iconic hearse known as Ecto-1 the media that had converged on the bizarre scene unfolding at Ellis Island only grew larger with more curious reporters, cameramen and of course amateur reporters with their own personal cameras who had no idea of the degree of danger that they were willing subjecting themselves to.

Egon put a hand over his mouth as he coughed again and turned up the volume on the TV with the remote. The news casters on each channel all told the same story with the same level of detail, which of course frustrated the benched Ghostbuster as his curious nature was beginning to get the best of him.

* * *

Ray drove down the street with the lights flashing and the siren wailing as Winston rode in the front next to him and Peter stretched out across the seats in the back. Despite Peter's best effort he couldn't drown out of the commotion and sleep on the way to the scene. The bright purple pulses surging across the sky wasn't helping matters.

"Man, I hate leaving Egon behind." Ray stated solemnly.

"Same, man. But he's sick. And Egon is the one who made the rule against bringing a sick or injured man on the scene of a potential bust." Winston reminded Ray firmly. "And for all we know this could just be the result of a weird weather phenomenon and nothing that actually concerns us."

As Ray pulled the car along the pier to take a ferry out to the island Peter sat up on the backseat and hung over the edge of the front to stare out the front windshield. "...Great. I love a late night cruise. This better _not_ be a wild goose chase."

"Come on Venkman." Ray opened his door and stepped outside of the vehicle. "The sooner we do this the sooner we can get back to bed."

The bright color reflected brilliantly over the surface of the dark water and emphasized the significance of the light display in the sky. The otherworldly pulses easily shone brighter than the spotlights that illuminated Lady Liberty standing proudly with her torch held high into the night sky. Seeing such an iconic symbol of human fortitude surrounded by inhuman light gave an eerie contrast to the bust at hand.

* * *

Unable to assist his colleagues at the island and unwilling to sit idly by doing nothing Egon set up the VCR attached to the TV set and put in a black videotape so he could record the news footage for closer analysis later on. Fortunately one of the news channels that Egon had stumbled upon had exquisitely clear footage of the sky with little obstruction from nearby environmental objects.

A dry cough disturbed the monotonous voice of the reporter on the TV screen. Egon cleared his throat and let out a weary sigh. "I very much dislike the winter." Rubbing his sore throat lightly he leaned forward on the couch and stared at the screen intently waiting for something, anything, of great interest to unfold.

The radio sat idle and untouched on the table in front of the TV set, waiting for a voice to call out to Egon and inform him of the event that was unfolding.

* * *

The ferry neared the island with an impressive speed as the captain chartered his three passengers out to the scene of the disturbance. The police had set up a barricade to keep news reporters and curious onlookers from getting too close to the island for the time being.

"I don't like this." Winston stated as he, Ray and Peter all looked out from the front of the ferry toward the island. "It feels... wrong."

"What do you mean?" Ray asked without breaking his transfixed gaze from the incredible sky.

"Yeah," Peter piped up quickly. "how is the sky turning purple any stranger than an ancient Sumerian demigod turning people into dogs or a river of slime resurrecting a temperamental sorcerer trapped in a very ugly painting?"

Winston shook his head as he leaned against the barricade on the edge of the ferry and looked down into the inky black water flowing around him. "I can't explain it, but I just have this horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach."

"Are you sick?" Ray asked sincerely as he finally tore his focus from the sky.

"No, just worried."

The ferry pulled up to the dock and slowed to allow the three Ghostbusters safe passage onto Ellis Island. As soon as the trio set foot on the surface of the ground the air took an unexpected chill that caused the men to tremble. The smell of ozone and the sense of electricity was on par with that of an intense summertime thunderstorm.

Winston rubbed his hands up and down his arms to stave off the cold. "Now I'm VERY worried. I wish I could explain it but I can't. I just have this feeling that something terrible is going to happen."

Ray put a reassuring hand on Winston's shoulder as he took a step forward. "I hate to admit it Zed but I think you maybe right. There's just something... off."

Peter cocked an eyebrow as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Is it the purple sky? Because yeah, that does seem a little out of place."

The pulses of purple energy suddenly began speeding up while remaining in perfect synchronized rhythm. The air became colder and the electricity in the air felt as though it had become charged with pure lightning! As the pace quickened the color became brighter and more vivid.

"Huh." Peter finally agreed with Winston's gut feeling. "That seems dangerous. Guess that means we're going to get closer. Right?"

"Right." Ray sighed and continued forward. Unclipping the PKE meter from his belt he began scanning the air only to have the needle on the display spike within seconds and burn out from overheating. "Ouch!" Ray dropped the smoldering meter at his feet and watched as the metal and plastic casing warped before his very eyes. "Good thing we didn't bring the packs!"

Winston and Peter rushed over to where Ray was standing and looked down at the disfigured scrap of metal melting against the concrete walkway.

Peter nudged it with his boot and took a step back from the dangerously hot device. "Don't tell Egon we broke his toy! And if you do it was Ray's fault! Not me." Peter suddenly remembered the radio on his belt and unclipped it. "Speaking of Egon..." His thumb pressed down on the 'talk' button on the side of the radio. "Spengz, can you hear me?"

' _Yes Peter_.' Egon's congested voice replied eagerly from the other end of the line. ' _I'm here_. _But you're signal is weak_.'

"Good. Just checking in."

' _What is happening out there_? _Can you describe the event or get an accurate reading for analysis_?'

"Uh..." Peter casually ignored the question and tried to not look at the destroyed meter at his feet. "Nothing yet. Just sit back and relax. We'll keep you posted." Peter lowered the radio as he released the button and tried to play the entire situation off as if nothing was wrong. "Okay, here's the deal. Ray broke the meter and-"

"This is serious." Ray stated as he stepped around the ruined meter carefully. "Whatever is happening is strong enough to interfere with and disable our equipment. I haven't seen PKE readings this strong since our encounter with Gozer."

"Oh, good." Peter rolled his eyes as he followed Ray around the meter. "Super charged energy and no equipment. I thought this was going to be too easy, glad I was mistaken."

Reluctantly but boldly the trio continued to walk toward the center of the island with their eyes watching the sky with a righteous wariness. The pulsing continued to increase in speed until the sky was seemingly a single layer of purple light that gave off electrical fields. The ferry that had taken the Ghostbusters to the island had wisely pulled out of port and returned to the mainland at an impressive pace.

Standing tall at the base of the Statue of Liberty the three men stared up into the sky. The epicenter of the pulses seemed to be coming from the sky directly above the statue, but an acting catalyst wasn't immediately evident. The air swirled around the three men carrying the charged sensation about with an unsettling speed.

"This is very strange." Ray observed as he watched the sky with a hypnotic stare. "Where did this come from?"

Winston shrugged his shoulders as he looked upward alongside Ray. "I think the more important question is what is thing to begin with?"

Peter remained uncharacteristically quiet as he looked to the sky with an unspoken awe in his eyes.

The air swirled quickly and bolts of lightning began to flash through the sky as if in response to the wind below. The pulses that swept through the sky from the epicenter widened in radius, creating a black void in the center that was the natural night sky finally escaping the purple light.

"Hey, look!" Ray pointed at the opening that had parted the purple energy pulses. "Something's happening! There must be something here on this island, probably buried, and it's acting like a gateway that's connecting our world to another world!"

Peter tore his eyes from the sky and stared at Ray with utmost disbelief. "Now how in the world could you know THAT?"

"The pulses aren't coming from a source in the sky," Ray explained quickly as he continued to point to the sky. "they're coming from another source and are appearing in the sky. The fact that we can now see our own sky is proof that the pulses are passing through an unseen gateway that's connecting our world to whatever world the pulses originated."

Peter nearly scoffed at the theory. "Someone from another world just opened a door and now we're dealing with a draft?"

"An over simplification of a very complex issue," Ray commented dryly. "but yeah. Essentially."

"So how do we stop it?" Winston wisely asked as continued to watch the sky. His eyes darted back and forth nervously as he tried to watch his surroundings protectively. "What can we do to close the gate if the energy will just destroy our equipment?"

Peter returned his attention to the radio. Lifting it up toward his mouth he pressed down the 'talk' button once again to address Egon back at the firehouse. "Hey Spengz, we're at the heart of the storm and-"

' _Repeat please_.' Egon interrupted firmly. His voice was filled with interfering static and barely intelligible through the gathering storm. ' _It's difficult to clearly understand what you're saying_.'

"Ray doesn't know what to do!" Peter shouted into the radio as the storm strengthened and thunder crashed again.

"Well... I'm not-"

A deafening thunder crash and blinding lightning flash stunned the three Ghostbusters as the energy around them intensified. Before any of the men could react a burst of pulsing energy shot downward from the sky and engulfed them all in a column of purple light. As quickly as the column descended from the sky it retracted in on itself and retreated upward.

The three Ghostbusters who had been engulfed in the light, who had been standing defenselessly beneath the ethereal storm, had disappeared without a trace.

* * *

The news reporters suddenly fell silent upon seeing the bright flash of purple light that descended from the sky and enveloped the three Ghostbusters. The disappearance of the bold trio had sent a shockwave over the city as the millions of eye witnesses were left without any answers and hundreds of questions. But only one of the millions of witnesses knew that he was the only one who could possibly do anything to solve the mystery of the falling purple sky.

Sitting in stunned silence on the couch of the firehouse Egon could only stare at the TV screen as the news channel played and replayed the footage capturing the disappearance of his friends. Even after viewing the unbelievable sight dozens of times Egon couldn't prevent himself from wincing or keep the knot in his stomach from tightening.

Unable to stand the sight any longer Egon turned off the TV and sat in silent contemplation on the couch. The now silent radio, rendered useless by chaos, still clutched tightly in his white knuckled hand.

Outside the firehouse the pulses of purple continued to flash, their pace slowing to their previous steady rhythm while the opening to the earth's natural night sky remained static. An opening of pure black, darkness that disrupted the the constant layer of bright purple that pooled over the city was like looking into the eye of a devastating hurricane.

"This event-" Egon finally brought himself to speak only to lose his voice to a fit of coughing that racked his entire body with violent spasms. After taking in a deep breath he was able to steady himself and finish his thought with unbridled determination as he stood up slowly but stood tall and confidently. He turned his gaze to look out the window at the purple sky that taunted him. "This event must be stopped. I must rescue my friends!"

* * *

A cold sensation against his face awoke Ray as a ringing in his ears pained his already aching head. Opening his eyes his vision cleared and he found himself laying on his stomach on a rocky terrain full of crags and pits. Shallow puddles spotted the ground and pooled inside the crags which glistened eerily as the bright stars above shone down on the barren landscape.

Putting his arms beneath himself Ray pushed his body up from the ground to better survey his new surroundings. The terrain was like an eternal desert of nothing but jagged rocks and broken ground, however the sky above was limitless cosmic beauty. A black sky was dotted with trillions of bright white stars. Gaseous clouds of vibrant and incomparable colors danced about gently through the expansive silence that can only be heard when wandering between worlds.

"Wow..." Ray couldn't help but admit his awe in the face of such unparalleled beauty. Using his sleeve he wiped the cold water from the side of his face as he took a knee and seemingly bowed to the magnificent sight before him. "This is incredible. Absolutely incredible! I need to tell the guys-" It was then Ray realized that he was alone even though Peter and Winston were by his side just moments ago. He looked around himself in a mild panic as tried to locate his friends "Guys? Guys!"

Ray's voice echoed pathetically over the barren land. There was no sound, no movement to give him a sign of where his friends were or if they even arrived in the mysterious land with him.

"Guys... please. Be okay..." Ray stood upright and scanned the land slowly. "I don't want to be here alone..."

A low groan of pain sounded off from behind a large boulder several yards away from where Ray was standing. If it hadn't been so quiet on the unusual landscape Ray would've never heard it from the distance. Turning he looked toward the source of the sound but didn't see anything of interest.

"I know I heard something..." Ray muttered to himself as he tentatively approached the boulder, wisely keeping an eye out for any potential threats that could harm him. "It better be friendly..."

Slowly Ray reached the boulder and put his hands against the surface of the cold, uneven rock. Peeking around the side of the boulder he was greeted by the sight of Winston laying on his side with his back facing toward Ray.

"Winston!" Ray knelt down beside his friend and put his hand on Winston's shoulder. Shaking lightly Ray called his friend's name while watching their immediate surroundings for any sign of any other living creatures. "Winston? Can you hear me?"

Another low groan of pain escaped Winston's lips but he didn't open his eyes.

"Don't worry buddy, I'm here for ya'!" Ray leaned down over Winston as if he could somehow protect his friend from an invisible foe. "Now we just need to find Peter... And figure out where we are!"

* * *

Working alone yet efficiently Egon had painstakingly set up six television monitors inside of his lab, using the desk, the top of a filing cabinet and two shelves to support the screens to surround himself with the recorded news footage displaying the odd column of purple ethereal light that had seemingly absorbed the three missing Ghostbusters. Programming recorded footage to play itself over and over again on repeat the physicist studied the unusual imagery at various speeds; trying to identify even the small of details to give him useful data in understanding what had happened, what had caused it and learn the fate of his missing friends.

With a black dry erase marker frantically scrawling out various formulas, algorithms and calculations Egon pushed his mind to identify the correct equation that supports the evidence gathered and find a way to bring the Ghostbusters back home.

Night transitioned into dawn though the sky remained the same. Hours passed by quickly and unnoticed by the lone scientist as he fervently toiled away in exhausting solitude.

Loyal and fearless Janine Melnitz arrived for work at the firehouse at nine in the morning as she always had. Opening the front door to the firehouse the fiery woman walked over to her desk with a bold, if not irritated gait and dropped her purse down next to her computer keyboard. She sighed as she stared at the opened space of the garage in the absence of Ecto-1 and decided that she'd make a pot of coffee for the Ghostbusters to enjoy after returning from the bust they were surely responding to.

Passing by the opened door of the lab where Egon had resided himself Janine was surprised to see that the always curious scientist hadn't gone out to explore the odd phenomenon covering the sky in purple energy.

"Egon! I didn't know you were here." She smiled and leaned against the door frame as she watched Egon quickly writing out complex calculations on the dry erase board. "I almost didn't come in because of what's happening, but I figured as long as you guys were going to handle it then I should come in and do my job, too."

Egon didn't reply to Janine's comment, he hadn't even noticed that she was watching him.

"Anyway," Janine continued casually as she had gotten used to Egon's ability to tune out anything and anyone that wasn't of scientific interest. "I'm going to make some coffee. Would you like some?"

Again Egon didn't reply.

"Right. I'll check in later." Janine was about to walk away from the open door when she noticed the six monitors playing the news footage over and over again. "Wow Egon, you've been busy."

The focused physicist's only response came in the form of a dry cough as he continued his calculations on the board.

"You still sound sick." Janine noted as she watched him working diligently from the doorway. "I'll make you some tea."

Taking her leave of the door the receptionist had turned away from the monitors just seconds before the footage showed the purple light absorbing the other three Ghostbusters. The very footage that had motivated Egon to work quicker and more efficiently than he had ever done in the past.

A light dizzy spell forced Egon to stop writing mid calculation. Using one hand to steady himself Egon paused for a few seconds and breathed slowly to stop his mind from swimming. Resuming work he willed the building haze from his mind.

All that mattered to Egon in that moment was finding the other Ghostbusters.

* * *

Ray was unwilling to leave Winston, unconscious and vulnerable, alone in the unfamiliar world. Knowing that it was crucial for him to find Peter and just as crucial for all three of them to find their way back home Ray felt torn between his responsibilities: Winston or Peter? It was becoming too much for the kind, empathetic engineer to endure as he could feel the icy chill of uncertainty beginning to creep up his spine.

Winston hadn't budged since Ray had found him, nor had he shown any sign of consciousness. There was a small cut on Winston's forehead just above his right eye, but a larger bump had formed over his brow.

"Well Winston, looks like we're going to be here for a while." Ray lamented as he stayed by friend's side. "Hopefully, Peter is okay. I haven't seen him, or anyone else for that matter! I wonder where we are. I haven't seen any place like this and I don't recall ever reading about a place like this in any of the usual literature."

The stars above shone brilliantly against the eternal blackness of the sky. The multicolored clouds swirled about in a gentle dance that was as peaceful as it was hypnotic.

"Nice night, at least." Ray commented as he looked upward to the dancing cosmos above.

A gravelly footstep from the distance put Ray on his guard. Turning his head he faced the approaching form with a righteous caution. Tightening his hand on Winston's shoulder he eyed the incoming being suspiciously and whispered an ominous warning to his defenseless friend. "We're not alone..."

* * *

Janine returned to the lab with a steaming mug of chamomile tea clutched between her hands. Egon was still busily working at the dry erase board scrawling out numerous calculations and equations as he struggled to properly identify the phenomenon that had struck the city and taken away his friends. The board was more black than white as the surface was quickly covered in the dark ink under the guide of Egon's skilled hand.

Setting the mug down on the nearby desk Janine looked at the dry erase board and felt uneasy. Hypercalligraphy is a sign of anxiety or obsessive compulsion and Janine had seen it manifest a few times during her employment with the Ghostbusters. Recognizing the heavy stress that was weighing down on Egon's mind she decided to speak up to check in on her friend.

"Egon? What are you working on?"

The physicist took a step back from the board. His hands were shaking and the dark locks of his hair were sticking down against his sweaty forehead. A horrific headache had stole what little energy he had after enduring a near sleepless night.

"Egon?" Janine walked up to Egon and gently put her hand on his arm. She could feel how physically tense the normally calm scientist had become, but she didn't understand why. "Please. Talk to me. What's going on?"

Egon's hand began to tremble. The black marker fell from his grip, crashing onto the floor at his feet and rolling away from where he stood silently.

"Egon? You're scaring me! Say something!" Janine begged sincerely.

The physicist turned his gaze from the dry erase board long enough to look at Janine's worry filled brown eyes. "There's been an ethereal disturbance. Ray, Peter and Winston went to examine it. And... And something... happened."

"What? What happened Egon?" Janine had never seen Egon full of doubt let alone confusion. She pulled on his arm lightly to turn him around to face her directly, it was only then she saw how pale his face was. "Oh, Egon! You're really sick! You to get some rest!"

"No. Not until I find them." He stumbled forward slightly. The only thing that kept him from falling over entirely was Janine who put her hands up against his chest to support him as his head drooped lower and rested against her shoulder.

"You're burning up!"

"I have to find them. Save them. Stop this... chaos."

"And you will." Janine put her hand to the back of his head and ran her fingers through his thick hair. "Just get some rest, you'll figure it out."

"I don't have time." Egon's words were harsh, almost cutting. The intense focus in his eyes made it appear as though he was lost in a trance as he lifted his head up from her shoulder and he stared at her with a glassy eyed glare.

"Egon..." Janine reluctantly let her grip loosen as he turned away from her and back to the messy board.

"Janine, please." Egon stooped down to pick up the dropped marker. A wave of dizziness swam over him causing him to fall forward onto his hands and knees on the floor.

Without another word Janine knelt on the ground beside Egon and rubbed her hand softly on his back. The tension in his muscles was only matched by the intense heat radiating from his feverish body.

Grabbing the marker with one hand and pushing himself up from the ground with the other Egon stood up straight and stared at the board with a determination burning in his dark eyes. Janine rose to her feet and sat on the surface of the desk behind her as she kept worried vigil over her stressed out an ill friend.

"I will solve this." Egon sighed as he resumed scrawling out his latest equation. "I _must_ solve this..."

* * *

Ray braced himself to face down the approaching unseen foe with as much strength as he could muster. Winston was still unconscious and defenseless. It was up to Ray, and Ray alone to protect his friend from any and all threats on the foreign, inhuman world.

"Show yourself and prepare to surrender!" Ray shouted loudly. He managed to keep his voice steady as he yelled out but the confidence was waning. "I'm warning you! I'm armed!"

"With what?" Came the sarcastic and openly unconvinced reply of Peter Venkman. "A stick?"

"Peter!" Ray was immediately relieved to see his missing friend finally found. "Thank God!"

"Not so loud Ray," Peter was rubbing a hand over his forehead. "my head's killing me."

"Sorry. I'm just glad you're okay."

"I'm fine. You seem to be in one piece. How's Winston?" Peter asked as he took a knee next to Winston a put his hand on Winston's upper arm. "He's looking a little rough."

"He's been unconscious since I've found him." Ray explained as he resumed kneeling next to their downed friend. "Small cut on on his forehead and a larger bump. I don't know if he hit a rock or if something attacked him, but regardless of the cause I can't get him to wake up."

"Well I don't think he's missing much." Peter quipped as he looked around the desolate terrain with absolute indifference. "So Ray, what exactly happened to us? Where are we? How'd we get here? How do we get back? And most importantly, is there anything to eat? I'm starving."

"In order: We were pulled into an interdimensional plane that coexists between the plane of the living, our Earth, and the plane of the dead. We're currently stranded on the interdimensional plane with no obvious return gateway. We were pulled here by an exterior ethereal force of an impressively high energy level. We can get back if the gateway that connects our plane to this plane re-opens. And sorry, I don't have any snacks on me."

"Oh. Well, that sounds simple enough." Peter stood up and looked upward toward the colorful starry sky. "So... where's the gateway?"

"That... I don't know."

"Too bad Egon isn't with us. He'd probably be able to find it."

"Well, seeing if he was with us he'd still have the limited knowledge and equipment that we-" Ray stopped midsentence as his mismatched eyes lit up with brilliance. "Wait! That's it!"

"What's it?"

"Egon!" Ray shot up and put both hands on Peter's shoulders and shook lightly. "He has access to all of our equipment!"

"...And?"

"AND!" Ray let go of Peter's shoulders and theatrically began explaining the situation with waving arms and quickly moving hands. "And the gateway can be opened from Earth! The ethereal gates that connect the planes are doors that can swing both ways! Just like when we stopped Gozer! If Egon can find a way to generate enough energy from Earth he can open the gate and lead us back home!"

"Great! So how can he generate that much energy?"

"Uh..." Ray's eyes dulled as blankness from a lack on answers filled them. "I don't know..."

Peter just stared at Ray without expression on his face or showing in his blue eyes. He slowly lifted one hand and grabbed onto Ray's shoulder with a firm, claw-like grip. Peter shook his head while he simultaneously shook Ray's shoulder.

"Ray... You need to find out."

* * *

Egon suddenly fell forward against the dry erase board. He put out one trembling hand up against the board to try and balance himself, his palm smearing the copious amounts of black ink the process. Egon's entire body began to tremble with weakness as his mental resolve had proven itself more formidable than his physical strength.

"Egon?" Janine had heard a loud 'crash' as Egon fell forward in his lab. Rushing into the room she could see the physicist losing his ability to stand as his legs buckled and he fell to the floor slowly. "Egon! This is crazy!" She knelt next to Egon and put one hand on his back and her other hand on his chest. "You can't push yourself so hard! Please... Rest."

"I can't... Need to keep working..."

"Egon?" Janine was having difficulty with supporting his weight as he slowly began losing consciousness and going limp in her arms. His taller physique overshadowed Janine's smaller frame but she was determined to get him back up to his feet. "Egon, come with me." She guided him slowly from the lab toward the opened office space behind her desk where Peter conducted his interviews. Inside his office was a large red sofa that would be ideal for Egon to lay down for a moment. "Take it easy."

"I can't. Everyone is counting on me. I'm the only one who can do anything. I'm the only one who can help anyone."

"Shh..." Janine pulled Egon over to the couch and forced him to sit down. She took his glasses from his face and gently pushed on his shoulders to make him lay down on the soft red cushions. "Everything will be alright, I promise..."

"How can you be so calm?" Egon asked as his mental stress began to peak. He closed his eyes and let his body relax a little as he stretched out on the sofa as fatigue won out over his desire to keep working. "Our friends are missing and I don't know how to help them!"

"You'll find a way! I know it!"

"You can't _possibly_ know for sure..."

"Yes I can!" Janine defended as she gently pressed her hand to his hot forehead. "I know you will because I know you." She pulled her hand back and sighed as she sat in the chair next to the sofa. "When Gozer attacked the city and the guys didn't hesitate to confront him and stop him! You were even willing to put your own lives on the line to close that gate with your proton packs and-"

"Wait..." Egon's eyes shot open as a moment of 'eureka' stimulated his thoughts. "Janine... I think you've figured it out!"

* * *

Winston finally began to rouse from his state of unconsciousness. His shoulders tensed suddenly as he became aware of the rocky surface that he was laying upon. Bracing his entire body up on one arm he slowly pushed himself upward from the ground and promptly felt a hand grab onto his shoulders to support him.

"Easy Winston!" Ray cautioned as he helped his friend to sit upright. "You've been out for a couple hours now."

"I have?" Winston pressed the heel of his palm to his forehead where he could feel a throbbing bump. "What the hell happened to us?"

Peter answered in his less than tactful manner. "We got sucked up into the sky by some ghost light and it left us stranded somewhere in space."

Winston paused for a moment as Peter's answer sunk in. Turning his focus to Ray he looked to his friend for confirmation. "Really?"

"Yup." Ray nodded slowly. "We're stuck."

"Oh."

"Don't worry. Egon will get us home, I know it." Ray took the opportunity to look at the cut to Winston's forehead and check his eyes now that he had regained consciousness. "We're stuck but it's only temporary."

"I hope you're right." Winston submitted to Ray's examination to his head. "I don't like the idea of being stranded in space."

Peter took a knee beside his friends as he looked up to the swirling display of the cosmos in the sky. "Same here."

* * *

Egon scrambled frantically back into his lab and used the sleeve of his jumpsuit to wipe away the remaining black marker on the dry erase board. Picking up a fresh blue tinted marker he began to quickly yet accurately scrawl out an entirely new equation that he was certain would provide the answer he sought.

"Egon!" Janine followed the sick man back into the lab. "What's going on?"

"I know what I need to do." His answer was quick and firm. "Please bring a proton pack into the lab. I can stop this phenomenon and I can bring our friends home..."

* * *

Wandering about aimlessly over the limited terrain of their asteroid like prison, Ray, Peter and Winston stayed together and didn't say much to one another.

There was nothing that could be said about their current situation that could prove itself to be useful or even insightful for their current predicament. The team had faced many odd trials against ethereal forces in the past, but rarely had they ended up stranded or separated from one another. With no way to contact Egon or anyone else for that matter the wandering trio could only wait and hope for a way to return to their home or spend the rest of their days lost to the cosmos until death finally decided to claim them.

"I think this is where we arrived." Ray stopped and looked down at faint scorch marks seared into the stone surface at his feet. "Arguably this would be the ideal place to stay once Egon finds a way to open up whatever gateway or wormhole thing that brought us here."

Peter crossed his arms and gave Ray a smug smile. "You really believe that Egon will save us, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Good." Peter sat down on the ground and nodded toward Winston. "I believe it, too!"

Winston smiled and slowly lowered himself to the ground with one hand while keeping the other pressed to his sore forehead. "I just hope we don't have to wait for too much longer. I need some aspirin!"

Ray laughed a little and joined his friends on the ground. "As soon as we're back to our world I'm going to-" He stopped midsentence as a disturbing thought entered his mind.

"Ray? You alright?" Winston could see the fear welling up in Ray's eyes.

"Y-Yeah, sure. Just, uh... Thinking."

* * *

Egon carried a modified proton pack in his arms as he headed toward the front door of the firehouse. Without Ecto-1 to drive he'd have to travel to Ellis Island either on foot or hail a cab. Neither option was too appealing to the ill scientist, but the idea of losing his friends forever was the most unappealing option he'd ever face.

"Egon, wait!" Janine rushed after him and pulled on his arm. "Don't go out there like this. Let me drive you."

"Huh, what?" Egon stopped fast and looked at her somewhat confused.

"You're too sick to walk and I don't trust the cabbies in this town! I'll bring my car around front and we'll go to the island together."

"Th-Thank you Janine." Egon sounded as exhausted as he looked. "I will wait for you."

"You better!" She quipped as she raced through the front door to retrieve her car parked around the back of the firehouse.

Leaning against the wall Egon kept checking the math of the equation in his head, refusing to allow any potential flaw or inaccuracy mar his attempts to locate and rescue his missing friends.

A horn beeped out front as Janine parked her small car out in front of the firehouse. "Come on, let's go!"

Egon nodded as he stumbled through the front door and opened the passenger side door of Janine's car.

The sky overhead was still purple and the air filled with electrical energy. There was no one out on the streets either in their cars or walking along the sidewalk. It seemed the city had gone into hiding as the mysterious sky threatened to consume the world that they knew and everyone within it.

* * *

"What's on your mind, Ray?" Peter asked very calmly as he waited patiently for something, anything to happen.

"I just... I've just been wondering what or who opened the gateway to begin with? I mean... We're the ONLY ones here, right?"

"Uh... I didn't see anyone else when I found you?" Peter confirmed.

"And I was out for a long time." Winston chimed in. "If there is anyone else here they may be hiding from us."

Ray continued his thought. "Whoever brought us here wanted us to remain stranded which is why they made sure the energy used to bring us here could destroy our equipment in the process."

"Why not just kill us?" Peter asked logically. "Seems easier to just finish us off than try to keep up prisoner."

"I thought about that, too." Ray admitted as he focused his numerous thoughts into a single train. "I think whoever it was who brought us here wants us to suffer! They don't want us dead just yet. They want us to see something or experience something before we die."

"But who?" Winston was growing a little impatient. "Everyone we've stopped has been pure evil with no redeeming qualities and they've been locked away for good! Who'd be after us now?"

"Wish I knew."

A crash of thunder accompanied a flash of purple light in the sky overhead drew their attention upward. The swirling multicolored cosmic clouds had been consumed by a bright purple pulsing light. The same purple light that had appeared over the city within a matter of seconds.

"This is it!" Ray shouted as he pointed up into the sky. "This HAS to be it!"

* * *

Janine had to all but threaten the ferry captain to take herself and Egon out to Ellis Island, but she managed to convince the fearful man that her anger was more devastating than anything that a ghost could do!

Egon had walked about the island carefully and froze upon seeing the melted PKE meter now cemented to the concrete walkway. Realizing that the intense power of the energy being emitted by the strange purple pulses in the sky would limit his range with the proton pack.

"Back here." Egon instructed as he led Janine away from the meter and near the edge of the island. "We'll have to keep our distance to ensure that the pack doesn't get damaged by the energy field."

"What's going to happen?"

"I've modified the proton pack to emit a proton stream at quadruple it's normal capacity. By doing so it'll allow the gateway that had opened up and taken the others to be re-opened, but this time the energy flowing will be reversed!"

"Is this safe?!"

"It's the same level of energy we used when we defeated Gozer. It won't be pleasant but it'll open the gateway long enough for the guys to cross through before slamming shut once again."

"I hope... I hope the guys know what to do!"

Egon froze for a moment as he aimed the proton thrower at the center of the sky. "They will."

Pressing the release button the side of the thrower the concentrated proton stream erupted from the pack with an intense surge of power that Egon could barely withstand. Janine put her hands on the thrower to help her sick friend steady himself as he aimed the stream at the center of the gateway, hoping that the distance would keep the energy from disabling the pack while also keeping himself and Janine out of harm's way in the event of backlash.

* * *

The sky above the three stranded men began to flash brighter and brighter with energy pulses as the same electrically charged air they had felt on Ellis Island seeped through onto their small rocky prison.

"Egon!" Ray shouted as he realized that Egon had in fact found a way to open the gate. "Guys, this is it! Get ready!"

"How?" Peter yelled as he shielded his eyes from the intense light with his arm.

"I don't know! Stand still I guess!"

The three man stood their ground and tried to brace themselves for whatever it was that was about to happen to them. They hadn't anticipated being pulled from their world into another and subsequently didn't recognize any pattern of behavior from the energy that they should be wary of.

* * *

Just as the proton pack sputtered out its last reserves of power a column of purple light descended from the sky in a brilliant flash. Egon dropped the pack and fell to his knees while Janine wrapped her arms protectively around him and shut her eyes as tightly as possible. A crash of thunder and single painfully bright wave of light cascaded over the city as the electrical charge in the air began to fade.

Janine dared to open her eyes and look around. The sky was no longer purple, it was it's natural blue hue. The energy in the air was gone and any sign of ethereal activity had left the city.

"Egon..." Janine put her hand to the side of his face as she spoke to him. She could feel the fever still radiating from his skin as she made contact. "I think you did it?"

His eyes were glassy and tired. He looked at Janine for a moment before looking toward the center of the island. "Where... Where are they?"

From the distance the sounds of three pairs of rushing bootsteps made their way over to where Egon and Janine were kneeling together.

"Egon! Janine!" Ray cheered as he saw his two friends together waiting for them on the island. "I'm so glad to see you!"

"Ray..." Egon sighed in relief as he watch his three friends return. "You made it."

"Whoa..." Peter didn't like the look of Egon's complexion or his slurred speech. "Egon, I think you and Winston should bunk together for a while at the hospital. You don't look so well."

"I don't feel so well, either..." Egon admitted wearily.

"Come on." Janine changed her position so she could wrap her arm around Egon's waist and help to stand up. "I'll drive them to the hospital, while you two figure out what the hell just happened!"

"I... uh..." Ray stammered awkwardly as he picked up Egon's dropped proton pack. "I think I know what happened."

"What's that?" Peter inquired somewhat harshly as he helped Janine to escort Egon back to the ferry.

"Gozer." Was Ray's succinct and cold reply. "Gozer happened. Gozer is back, he's angry and he wants revenge!"

_**-The End** _


End file.
